


More Than Just the Spare

by champagne_cake



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, they're at a party with papa vincent!, they're like 9 here, young ociel and rciel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/champagne_cake/pseuds/champagne_cake
Summary: “I’ll never be the heir.”“But you’re more than just the spare.”O!Ciel gives his younger self some much-needed wisdom.
Relationships: Ciel Phantomhive & Real Ciel Phantomhive
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	More Than Just the Spare

**Author's Note:**

> I don't normally have a headcanon for O!Ciel's name, but I'll be calling him Astre here, because the focus switches constantly from one twin to another, so it'd get confusing without names for both.

_[I'm not part of the guard, which serves our dear Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYoRPnFYZrQ)._

“Are you joining us this evening?”

_Just somebody hopelessly in-between._

“You were awfully excited about it just this morning.”

_He's the scholar, athlete, poet._

“Yes! You’re never well enough to come with us, so this time you must!”

_I'm the screw-up, don't I know it._

“Ah, well, I’m glad you’ll be in our company. Now let’s get your coat on.”

_But then, who could ever compare? Of course, they're going to think I'm just the spare._

“I’m so glad you came out with us tonight,” Ciel smiled, gently squeezing Astre’s hand. “Parties are so much fun! There are big pretty lights, and good food, and Father has _lots_ of friends here.”

The younger Phantomhive grinned in agreement, looking around to take in all of his surroundings. Large, grandiose chandeliers, extravagant suits and ballgowns, and many tall figures dancing perfectly in line with the music.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time, but there was just so much going on! The lights shone just a little too bright — the music, laughter, clinking of champagne glasses all rung just a little too loud. Surrounded by so many new sights all at once, Astre felt much smaller in the room. Clinging shyly to his father’s side, he hid his face — not immediately noticing Ciel — who, unbothered and already more than familiar with everything, had run off to find amusement elsewhere.

“Hey! Let’s go over there!” Ciel called, beckoning toward a hallway leading out of the central ballroom.

Astre looked back up at his father. Like Ciel, Vincent didn’t appear phased at all, continuing to socialize with a few of his fellow elites. Looking for a way out of the center of attention, he ran off in his brother's direction.

_“Ciel!”_ He called, lightly panting by the time he reached the hallway. “…Ciel?”

There were fewer people here, but strangely, his brother was out of sight. Partygoers made polite conversation around archways and windowsills, but there weren't many children — none their age, at the very least.

_Oh Ciel, where are you? Why would you run off?_

Starting to worry, Astre bit his lip and sat down at a wide ottoman ledged in front of a window. _I've got to find him! But I don't want to go too far — I’ve never been here before. I'll just sit here for a little bit, and then I'll return to Father. Maybe he'll already be back by then?_

"Ciel _always_ knows what to do," he sighed. "Wouldn't it be nice, to be more like him."

"Why so?"

_"Eeek!"_ Astre gasped, frightened by the sudden voice beside him. So caught up in looking for his missing half, he failed to notice there was already another occupant at the edge of the upholstered bench. A well-dressed teenager with muted blue-grey hair, (hair quite similar to his father's) and a mysterious black patch over his left eye. Nobody told him pirates went to parties too.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you here first! I'll get out of your way," Astre bowed, rising from his seat.

"It's quite alright," the elder chuckled. "One can get caught off-guard at events such as these. I don’t fancy them much either."

Astre blushed, nervous to be meeting someone new without his father and brother. Typically, Vincent and Ciel would always introduce themselves first, leaving Astre to do so last.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Yes…my brother, Ciel. We came to this party together, and he wanted me to follow him! He ran out here, and…now he’s gone.”

“Oh? What does he look like?”

“We’re twins, so he looks a lot like me!” Astre explained, pointing out each matching feature as he specified. “He has blue hair, and blue eyes, and we’re both wearing the same outfit.”

“I’ll keep an eye out. Don’t think I have much of a choice,” the boy chuckled, one eye permanently concealed by the eye patch.

Astre giggled. “Thank you…um — are you a pirate? You’re wearing an eye patch, just like the pirates in our storybooks.”

“That’s a secret,” the boy whispered, pressing a single gloved finger to his lips.

“A secret!” Astre’s eyes widened, nodding fervently as he whispered, mirroring the stranger's motion.

“Indeed," the pirate smiled. Was he truly once this _ — cute — _as they called it? "So you know about pirates and the high seas. You must be quite well-read."

“I am,” Astre mused, mentally recounting his favorite reads from the month. _Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Three Musketeers, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King…_ “I just finished _The Prince and the Pauper_. I read a lot, because I can’t come out to many parties. I get sick rather often, so I’m always indoors.”

“Ah, the story of Tom Canty and Edward, Prince of Wales. Two boys from entirely opposite walks of life, but share one face. Even the same birthday.”

“Yes! They look just like one other, even enough to switch places like Ciel and I sometimes do. Tom gets to be prince for a while,” Astre spoke — excited at first, but tone quickly shifting, “but Edward has to see how hard things are for the common folk.”

“And what do you think they learned?”

“Well, Tom learned that being prince is actually very difficult. There are many royal duties he has to attend to, and _just many things_ he has to know about. And Edward learned that life is very hard for people different from him, which led him to make changes when he became king.”

The pirate nodded slowly, recounting the truths as the child before him told them, but silently acknowledging the bitter notes of the story’s end. _Although morally reborn from his brush with insight, King Edward would only live until the age of fifteen, while Tom the pauper — now the King's Ward — would go on to live a long, healthy life._

“Have you ever wished you could switch places with your brother?”

“…”

Astre paused. He was always aware of the differences separating himself and Ciel. Ciel was older. Stronger. Healthier. More outgoing. Most importantly, he was the one who was going to be Earl Phantomhive someday. Astre loved Ciel, and he didn't want anything to change. He didn't envy Ciel so much as he wanted to be his equal.

"Sometimes I do,” he quietly admitted, looking down at his feet. “He and I look alike, but he’s _just so different._ He knows how to talk to anyone, and he’s not afraid of things, _and our dog isn't mean to him,_ and…he’s strong and reliable for others. Not like me.”

“…”

Both shared a moment of pause, before the pirate finally broke the silence.

“You and your brother may look alike, but you’re not the same person.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’re twins, yes. But both of you are your own person first, before anyone else. There are things you’re born with, and there are things you gain through practice and experience. You don’t have to be anything for anyone but yourself. Your dreams are your own to realize.”

“I guess. I’ve never told anyone before, but…I’d love to open a toy store in London someday. Since I have to spend a lot of time indoors, I’d like to make things a little nicer for other children who have to do the same.”

The pirate smiled. “You have gifts of your own that you can offer to others one day. And you will. Your _own_ gifts, different from Ciel’s.”

Astre's eyes widened, gazing up in awe — only broken from the spell as the grandfather clock chimed nine.

“It’s getting late,” the pirate spoke, rising from the ottoman. “I'd best be on my way.”

“Wait!” the younger boy called. “I never got to ask your name!”

What followed was all a great blur.

“Of course, my name. How impolite of me to neglect a proper introduction. It was a pleasure meeting you. My name is-”

**_“Astre!”_ **

He whipped his head around the moment he heard Ciel’s voice.

 _“Astre!! Where’ve you been?”_ The eldest twin called, panting as he ran toward him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

 _“Ciel?! I’ve_ been looking everywhere for _you!_ I followed your voice into this hallway, and then you disappeared.”

“Huh? I’ve been right here for the last ten minutes. You sure you didn’t just get distracted?”

Astre shook his head. “I'm sure I didn't see you. But I was right here! I was talking to some-”

He turned around, hoping to introduce Ciel to the mysterious elder, but by then, the ottoman was empty and unoccupied — pirate nowhere to be found.

“-one…”

“Ehh? What’s going on, Astre?”

“I was talking to someone,” Astre insisted. “A pirate, I think- _!!”_ He gasped, covering his mouth.

_“A pirate?”_

“Yeah, with an eye patch! He was older than us. He told me he’d keep ‘an eye out’ for you,” Astre chuckled, recounting the detail.

“I don’t see anyone with an eye patch. Let’s ask Father if he knows!”

“Alright, let’s go! He’s probably worried about us by now.”

“Here we go! I’m so glad you joined us this time, Astre.”

Astre smiled, a mirror image. Bright eyes and the corners of his mouth curved upward, resembling Ciel in every way. But this time, something was different. Or perhaps, something was always a little different. This time, though, Astre was fine with it. “Me too, Ciel.”

_Me too._


End file.
